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pinkandpurple360 · 4 months

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The character designs of the characters in HB/HH get more and more frustrating and awful the more you know about the actual biblical/mythological characters that they are supposed to be based on.

Paimon’s design is not bad on its own, but knowing that he’s supposed to be PAIMON, the king from the Ars Goetia who is in the text described as being a feminine-presenting man riding a camel. But instead we get another fucking BIRD and it’s just so frustrating.

And he’s related to Stolas?! No where that I’ve read or seen has even hinted at them even being related in the original texts that they’re supposed to be drawing from.

And the Seven Deadly Sins is a whole other basket of issues.

Lucifer doesn’t even look intimidating in the slightest and if you showed me a picture of him and I had no idea of who he was, I wouldn’t even know he was the infamous fallen angel we all know as Lucifer.

Asmodeus reminds me of a pumpkin that someone stuck a bunch of fur onto and then put it all on a body.

Beelzebub isn’t even an INSECT!!! It’s in the NAME, BEE-LZEBUB!!!

And Mammon looks like a knock off Christmas tree. No further comments.

And don’t even get me started on the so-called “Full Demon Forms.”

You cannot convince me that those are good designs when all they do is make them bigger and more fiery. These are supposed to be the living embodiments of sin themselves and they feel so underwhelming.

Its just so frustrating (I’m repeating that word, but it’s the best way I can describe my feelings), because there is so much you can do with the lore of these characters (the original lore not the show lore) and the amount of creativity I’ve seen from other artists (such as Lovesart23) is astounding and wonderful to look at and follow along with.

Really the only nice thing I can say about Stolas is that his full demon form was genuinely cool and it really gave off the vibe that “this is an ancient demon of hell.”

Phhh completely have to agree with you on every possible level

WHY ARE THE MONARCHICAL SINS LESS EVIL THAN THE WORKING CLASS what did Viv mean by this??? Why is Asmodeus an angel ?

And why is Lucifer the definition of defanged, what happened to this

A strict dad with high expectations who doesn’t believe in Charlie’s dreams. I was so ready for that story to be told. And now i feel like he’s a teenager with all of his massive authority just gone? I wonder if he even has a demonic form?

Isn’t it funny that Stolas gets an official demon name, his father who only appears once, gets a demonic name, his ex brother in law who only appears once so far and had no introduction at all, also gets a demonic name, but the Wife and Daughter of stolas, his core story, just get human names???

They chose to make stolas a son of Paimon to retcon him into being Blitzs childhood “friend” and to make it look like he’s just like blitz he has a mean dad too! Blech.

While I love the character “Paimon” I found him funny, charming, and delightfully evil, he could have had any other name and been as good. According to some content he’s actually a shape shifter with many forms, but chose the bird form because stolas is an owl, and that’s why he said “the owl boy” and why Asmodeus calls him “birdy babe” watch stolas have like, elephant and goat brothers and sisters or something next. The Stolas and Stella family is just the avian part of the Ars Goetia apparently? Idk. I’d love to know if Stella has a maiden name. I’m still upset actually that Stella didn’t get a demonic name of her own, neither did Octavia, but Andrealphus, a nothing character, gets an official demon name??? Why not just pick a Goetia name and gender swap it like with Beelzebub and Belphegor??? The sexism is unbelievable. Especially Via what a wasted opportunity.

Making him white and British though..I’d be so mad if I were a Middle Eastern person and saw that be erased, what a joke

#helluva boss critical #hazbin hotel critical

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ystrike1 · 2 years

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An Extra In The Family Is The First To Be Abandoned - By Baek Chung-myung (7/10)

The yandere part of this was kind of unexpected. The love interest seems like a reasonable man at first, but then the author gradually keeps adding more evil into all of the characters. Sadly, our main character is a pure woman without an evil bone in her body. I know the love interest will protect her, but this could have been more interesting. The kind, bland protagonist is the most boring part of this. Also the English translation available now is awful.

Ethel is actually the second princess, Stella. Stella was abused as a child by the royal family because she did not develop magical powers. The royal family is deeply afraid of rebellion, and their star based magic keeps the families position unshakable. When Stella did not manifest they immediately turned their backs on her. She did not get to debut as a princess. She had to live as her sister's maid.

Child abuse is a common topic in fantasy stories like this, but it is relevant to the plot. Ethel has taken on a new name and she has completely given up on her family. They tried to sacrifice her to a group of rebels to save their own cowardly skins. She feels no love for them anymore, and I can respect that.

Ethel works in a small restaurant. She has a little sister and an adopted family that she loves. The rebels didn't kill her because they truly believed she was just a maid. Of course after the attack her powers did manifest, and now there's a suspicious "hole" in the night sky. The star god(?) keeps telling her to return to the castle, but she doesn't want to go.

Again, I can respect that. Ethel's family is truly nice. When she was Princess Stella her only friends died in the rebel attacks. If she did try to return to the palace she would face nothing but opposition. Her family would never trust her. Her sister was clearly out to get her from the beginning as well. Power isn't very tempting for Ethel.

Ethel's sister is named Karen. She is delightfully evil and she won't be getting a redemption arc. She treats the man she loves like a object. She has people she doesn't like killed behind the scenes. She hopes Stella is dead, because she wants all the attention. The star god wants Stella but Karen sincerely does not care. Her royal parents love her. Her brother is easy to manipulate. Stella the late bloomer with extra powers was the only thing in her way. She is at the top of the social world.

Karen doesn't know why the Duke doesn't want her. Duke Clyde has very good yandere potential. He didn't know Stella was a special princess when he met her. He knew her when she was a downtrodden maid, and she knew him when he was a slave. He thinks she's the only one that can ever understand what he went through, and he's kind of right. He thinks Stella is his star and only she deserves to have power. He's kind of right but also clearly a little crazy.

He constantly insults Karen. He eats at Ethel's restaurant once a week because he's almost certain she is his princess. His love lorn behavior is starting to piss off high society. Clyde wasn't supposed to be a slave. I believe he was related to the previous Duke, but of course he had to kill alot of enemies to get the title. The last Duke did not respect him. He actually stabbed the man, because he wanted the Duke title specifically so he could marry Stella. (I assume that he figured out she was the hidden princess at some point). That made me pause. Clyde isn't especially excited about having power either. He just wants to find and marry Stella.

Stella has been missing for ten years as well. That makes him look even crazier. The last time they spoke was when they were children, but he's still intent on marrying her. Karen is willing to do alot of killing to make him settle for her instead. Her spies find Ethel and Karen....does something smart? What?

That's right. Karen is a real villain. Not a spoiled little girl. She bribes Viscount Jay, and uses him against Ethel. It's obvious that Clyde is already falling for her, and that's not good. Even if Ethel isn't the real princess she's a problem.

The plan is this.

Jay has to flirt with Ethel and offer her a new life. A life as a fake princess. She looks exactly like Stella, so she can use those looks to become one of the wealthiest woman in the nation. She can have all that power on one condition. She must marry the man Jay (Karen) chooses.

The best part about this is the fact that Jay forces her to accept the deal. He's a nobleman after all. He can make a commoner woman go along with his scheme. So now Ethel must enter the palace as a fake, even though she's the real princess. Karen will undoubtedly use this back room deal to make Ethel look illegitimate and greedy. Clyde will be enraged at her engagement.

Her arrival will cause a storm.

Cool, but Ethel/Stella is boring. I'm warning you the setup is good but the main character is a yawnfest. She's already mostly over her trauma. She isn't afraid of her family. She doesn't care about fixing the country or learning magic. She just cares about her adorable adopted family. Which is fine but this royal family is scary, corrupt and evil. Ethel is kinda shitty for not caring about what they're doing. God itself is begging her to come back to the castle and Ethel is like...nah but my family. I don't know. I think Jay will threaten them to force her to team up with him. The Duke and the villains are both reasonably well done. Grow a backbone Ethel. Innocent people are dying because your narcissist sister can never have enough love.

#yandere #male yandere #yandere male #yandere boy #recommendations #recs #rec #recommended #webtoon #An Extra In The Family Is The First To Be Abandoned

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signor-signor · 3 years

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S3 Episode Summary Predictions (DEBUNKED!)

Over one month ago, I said I’d give S3 episodes their summaries, and after much deliberation, I replaced several titles with ones that might sound right (and came up with better summaries to go with them). The titles that are bolded are the tentpole episodes. Just something to tide everyone over while they wait 10 more days for the 8th anniversary of WOY’s REAL first episode, The Greatest (followed by The Egg).

I took into account the inclusion of Star Force Enforcement Force, the space ape, the Star Nomad bringing folks back to their planets, Major Threat being a regular, Dominator being in a “delightfully petty” situation, the backstory of Hater and the Watchdogs, Wander being tested, and more. It’s not quite perfect, but most of it is based on what I know about S3 so far. The rest is mainly fan-made speculation.

The Galactic Rebirth Wander and Sylvia, having explored the reborn galaxy, find a stranded space ape and bring him back to the formerly secret planet where a refugee ship is refurbished, renamed the Star Nomad, and used to take the refugees, including the ape, whom Wander names "Hubert," home. Peepers starts a fan club dedicated to Lord Hater, who is weary of his status as a hero, and when a team of space cops called Star Force Enforcement Force (comprised of Sheriff Goldheart, Lieutenant Iris, and Officer Sampson) show up, things get complicated.

The Cruise To make the ride on the Star Nomad more leisurely, Clancy and Nancy Shmancy set it up as a cruise ship as Wander tries to keep Hubert, the space ape, occupied. The Remaining Villains Lord Hater, Peepers, and the Watchdogs return to Suburbon V to retrieve their necessities, and when they find that the other villains had been hiding in a bomb shelter when Dominator showed up to destroy the planet, Hater tries to keep them trapped so he can conquer more of the galaxy.

The Trauma Taking a tip from Wander, Emperor Awesome visits Dr. Otmar Vunderbar to explain the PTSD he's had after his interaction with Dominator. The Stowaway Hubert finds his way into the Skullship and Barry, having been promoted to corporal, tries to get him out without Hater and Peepers noticing.

The Spy Guy Something the So-and-So thinks he's found his calling when Wander tells him that Stella Starbella's companion, Mittens, used to be a secret agent, so he goes on a mission to thwart the Scuzzbuckets' plans. The Escape Having been caught by SFEF back in the beginning of The Galactic Rebirth and imprisoned in one of the holding cells in their ship, Dominator looks for numerous ways to escape.

The Lost Dog With help from Major Threat, who's had experience with large animals before, Wander and Sylvia help Beeza and the Ballzerians look for Buster, who's been under the care of Ms. Myrtle since Dominator scared him off. The Karate Zbornak Worried her fighting skills aren't up to par, Sylvia meets Master Yisuko and learns to hone her skills just before Kragthar shows up to reclaim Yisuko's planet, Dokwontae.

The Evil Sandwich Sourdough, the evil sandwich, gets placed in the Blarpee's sandwich refrigerator to avoid becoming stale, plots revenge on Wander, and waits for a victim to inhabit. The Van Wander and Sylvia find that the Insurgent Generals had a robotic sentient van called Ivan before Lord Hater came around and attempt to break him out of a vehicle impound with Hubert tagging along.

The Haunted Planet Lord Hater attempts to conquer a haunted planet only to find that Dr. Screwball Jones has set up shop, and the two are frightened out of their wits by a cacophonous fruit bat called Dingbat. The Ghost Ship The Star Nomad and the Skullship come across a ghost ship, and when Wander, Sylvia, Hater, and Peepers are dragged aboard, they go on a surreal trip and desperately look for a way out together.

The Sibling Rivalry Determined to learn more about Star Force Enforcement Force, Lord Hater takes a reluctant Peepers along and meets up with the latter's big sister, Lieutenant Iris. Meanwhile, Wander and Sylvia meet the former's former companion, Sampson, as an elite member of SFEF and discover their main objective: forcing villains to reform without their consent, something that goes against everything Wander stands for.

The Supply Run While avoiding SFEF and with the assistance of Badlands Dan and his gang and the Motorhogs, Wander and Sylvia search for supplies on several planets to keep the remainder of the passengers on the Star Nomad fed and occupied. The Labyrinth Wander and Sylvia take the Lords of Illumination to a maze planet where they seek an orb to replenish their magical energy and fend off the Schmartians, and when Hater and Peepers show up to conquer the planet, they, Wander, and Sylvia must get the Lords out of the maze.

The Treasure Hunt Wander and Sylvia assist Neckbeard in seeking a special stone that grants the user multiple powers, but with Hubert's clowning around and Master Yisuko's insistence that physical work must be done instead of magic, delays are inevitable. The Cataclysm Little Bits has teamed up with the Troll, who is even bigger than ever, to seek galactic domination, so Wander, Sylvia, Prince Cashmere, and the Baa-hallans must convince the passengers aboard the Star Nomad to ignore the Troll's insults or Bits will take her exploitation too far.

The Songwriter Dominator gets an idea to convince Goldheart to let her go: turning the lyrics she wrote during her time in her holding cell into hit songs. The Playmate While Demurra and Dracor redecorate their castle, their children, Dorgan, Daintia, and Deliquette, find a shy plant-like being and try to invite it to play with them in the playground behind the castle.

The Blockbuster After another visit from Dr. Vunderbar, Awesome tries to make a comeback by working in the world of cinema, but the two Okeydokian movie directors give him suggestions that bring to mind the unpleasant experience he had with Dominator. The Watchdog Home World Wander, Sylvia, and Hubert come across a destroyed and reborn planet that once inhabited the Watchdogs and find a stash of old films recorded by Andy to learn more about them.

The Trespassers Janet and Maurice return from their honeymoon to find the galaxy had changed in their absence, and when SFEF arrive and set up base on Janet, Maurice sends a message to the Star Nomad to summon Wander, Sylvia, and Hubert to lure them away. The Pet-Sitter Lord Hater asks Ripov to watch over Captain Tim while he, Peepers, and the other Watchdogs attend a Watchdog convention secretly run by Iris.

The Heist When SFEF takes control of the Skullship's fuel station, Peepers and his team of stealthy Watchdogs go on a heist to take it back. The Missing Link Major Threat notices a resemblance between Hubert and Hater, so he tries to talk Wander and Sylvia into bringing the ape to Hater.

The Dawn of Hater and the Rise of Peepers In this musical episode, Wander learns from Goldheart that Hater once had a previous best friend, and after asking everyone on the Star Nomad what they previously knew about Hater, Sylvia asks Peepers to explain his "top secret origin story" in much greater detail. It's eventually understood that Hubert is a past version of not Hater, but Goldheart.

The Mentor Having lost Peepers to SFEF in the previous episode, Lord Hater asks Major Threat, who once had a right-hand man himself, to help him cope with his inability to conquer the galaxy. The Broken Wings When the Star Nomad flies through an asteroid field, its wings break off, so Wander and Sylvia enlist the assistance of the Flendarians and Master Yisuko to find a way to repair them.

The Game While aboard SFEF's ship, Peepers is tricked by Dominator into making a game in which the winner gets control of the ship and the loser stays inside a holding cell permanently. The Lone Shark After yet another visit with Dr. Vunderbar, Awesome gets another panic attack at a nightclub and frightens off everyone, including his Fist Fighters, and reluctantly heads back to his mother's place before having a run-in with SFEF.

The Zoo Having given up her habit of hunting, Ripov is encouraged by Ranger Flute, who just moved into the reborn galaxy, to find a new career at a newly established zoo where animals that lost their homes try to settle in. The Double Date The Black Cube and his new girlfriend, Tracy, look for a suitable place to celebrate their tenth date, but Brad Starlight and his wife, Princess Remora, keep getting ahead of them.

The Master of Puppets When the Star Nomad arrives on Destructor's planet, the children onboard are eager to see more of the performance of Destructor and his sock puppet, so Wander inspires them to make their own puppets. The Super Guy Something the So-and-So unlocks his full potential when he unknowingly recites the magic words from a spell book in the Star Nomad's library shelf and, in his attempt to apprehend a chicken bucket-ized General McGuffin, is almost arrested by SFEF.

The Discovery Sylvia visits her home planet to check on her family and she finds some secrets she never knew about her father, one of those secrets being that he was a part of SFEF before Sampson replaced him. The Homeless With almost everyone brought home, Wander realizes he still hasn't found the perfect home for Hubert, so he searches every jungle planet that is suitable for him.

The Bingleberry Bush After the Binglebops return to the galaxy, Wander, Sylvia, and King Bingleborp find all the Bingleberry bushes have disappeared, except one, so they start a farm to harvest Bingleberries. The Peacemakers Corporal Barry temporarily takes place as commander while Hater attempts to get Peepers away from SFEF.

The Star Nomad Legacy Goldheart begins to flicker out of existence because without Hubert (his past self) being placed sometime in the past, Star Force Enforcement Force would cease to exist and so would the Hater empire, Dominator's rise to power, and Wander and Sylvia's friendship. Hater and Peepers (who left SFEF) finally see Wander as a friend and they, along with the rest of the galaxy, assist him in sending Hubert back in time to set things right. (This true series finale may or may not be 44 minutes in length).

There’s still no denying the fact that the plans for Season 3 exist. Of course, my predictions may be different from what the crew planned in 2015, and because they still won’t tell us everything about it, I still have the drive to keep making those predictions. They have a true ending in mind and by golly I will see to it that it gets revealed before the end of time. We still deserve to know what happens after S2, especially after what the world has been through in the past 18 months.

One effort at a time.

#Wander Over Yonder #SaveWOY #Save Wander Over Yonder #Star Force Enforcement Force #WOY Season 3 #Predictions #Long Read

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ladyherenya · 5 years

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Books read in October

It’s a few days into a new month and not only have I reviewed everything I read last month, I’ve compiled this post. Usually that takes me longer.

I didn’t feel like I needed to include any rereads this month, partly because I don’t really have anything new to say about the trio of favourites I reread: The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones, Sunshine by Robin McKinley and The Changeover by Margaret Mahy. I still love those books.

(Longer reviews and ratings are on LibraryThing. And also my Dreamwidth blog.)

The Murderbot DIaries: Exit Strategy by Martha Wells: A very satisfying “season finale”, which pulls together threads from the previous novellas into a high-stakes, fast-paced conclusion. Murderbot, a rogue SecUnit, has been gathering evidence of corporate wrongdoing under its own initiative. But its investigation has been noticed and Dr Mensah, who legally owns Murderbot, is in trouble. I enjoyed this enormously. Read it and then reread it. Bookmarked all the quotes. I am delighted by Murderbot -- sarcastic, socially-anxious, obsessed with serials, reluctantly caring, still working out what it means to be a bot with autonomy and feelings. Next up is apparently a Murderbot novel -- more Murderbot, hurray!

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith: Finally, the fourth book! This was engrossing. I liked it for the reasons I liked the previous books: a solid mystery with satisfyingly unexpected twists; the writing is charismatic, with an eye for visual details and astute observations (particularly about class, privilege and fame); and I enjoy reading about Strike and Robin and their investigative efforts. This isn’t as dark nor as dramatic as Career of Evil, and our detectives’ personal lives take up more space… which I’m not going to complain about! I am here for detectives having personal lives and I look forward to reading more about them.

Take Three Girls by Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell and Fiona Wood: A story about taking risks, making changes, discovering what is important, and dealing with the pressures of others’ expectations and with malicious cyber gossip. Clem (a swimmer), Kate (a nerdy cellist) and Ady (popular) are thrown together by their private school’s Year 10 “Wellness” class. I enjoyed reading this so much. It’s funny and feminist and sharply insightful about teenage experiences: school, friendships, romance, family, bullying. I loved the girls’ friendship and how they support each other, and the references to the things they’re passionate about. I liked the ending… but wish it had more oomph.

Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi: Penny is starting college. Sam is a barista going through a difficult break-up. Penny likes wearing black, being prepared for emergencies and writing science-fiction. Sam likes wearing black, baking and making documentaries. They’re introduced by a mutual friend and soon after Penny gives Sam her number for “emergency contact”. But once they start texting, they can’t stop. (And I didn’t want to stop reading!) They understand each other’s references, trains of thought, anxiety and humour. They can talk about nearly everything. Their relationship is like a modern, digital, epistolary romance. More books like this one, please.

Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer (narrated by Jilly Bond): Kate is invited by her aunt to stay at Staplewood Park. This is an unexpected and uncomfortable foray into Gothic suspense, with characters agonising over whether one of their relatives is mentally unstable and who else knows. Ugh. Although Kate never loses sight that this is still a person who deserves compassion, it’s an era where there wasn’t much of understanding of, nor effective means of treating, mental health issues. It becomes obvious that this situation cannot be resolved happily. I liked Kate and her very Heyer-ish romance. I’d have liked the suspense had Staplewood been home to different secrets.

Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne: A largely successful young adult Jane Eyre retelling in which the Earth has undergone an ice-age and people live in ships orbiting the planet. Stella, desperate to leave the run-down Stalwart, applies for a governess position on a privately-owned ship. I was pleasantly surprised by how Donne altered the events of Jane Eyre to fit her futuristic setting, rather than altering her setting to fit Jane Eyre. I liked that there were unexpected twists, and changes made sense in context. (I want a retelling to be sufficiently different, because otherwise I might as well just reread Jane Eyre.)

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley: Someone recommended Kearsley’s books as similar to Mary Stewart’s, and this is most delightfully Mary-Stewart-ish. From the first page I was convinced that I would to love it. Verity Grey is offered a job on an archaeological dig near a fishing town in Scotland. This has atmosphere: history, scenery and mystery. I was fascinated by the historical details about the Romans, I enjoyed vivid depiction of Eyemouth, and there was enough suspense to keep me intrigued without becoming too spooky. It also has characters who are intensely passionate about their work, and a romance which simmers away in the background.

The Karkadann Triangle: “Unicorn Triangle” by Patricia A. McKillip and “My Son Heydari and the Karkadann” by Peter S. Beagle: Two short stories featuring unicorns. McKillip’s “Unicorn Triangle”, about a unicorn turned into a human, would be great if it were the beginning of a novel; as a short story, I found it unsatisfying. I’m not sure whether or not I liked Beagle’s “My Son Heydari and the Karkadann” but it’s a really solid short story which kept my interest.

The Element of Fire by Martha Wells (narrated by Derek Perkins): I took four chapters (over two hours of the audiobook) before becoming completely captivated. The beginning is eventful -- the captain of the Queen’s Guard rescues one sorcerer from another, there’s palace intrigue -- and I liked the worldbuilding, but I didn’t know why I should care. But when the king’s half-sister, the Fay sorceress Kade, confronts her family, something clicked. Here is the story’s fraught, emotional heart. I really enjoyed being surprised by Kade. I also enjoyed Thomas’ flashes of humour, and the interactions they have with the royal family. I liked this so much more than I was expecting to.

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (narrated by Michelle Dockrey): It is rare that I read something which reminds me of Enid Blyton's fantasy, which was my introduction to fantasy stories. However, this novella, in which a group of teenagers go on a mission to a nonsense world, felt a lot like reading a grown-up, modern Faraway Tree adventure -- darker, with fewer dated stereotypes and with much more elegant prose. That perspective made it more interesting. It’s still not quite my aesthetic, but it isn’t as dark as Every Heart a Doorway and I liked how it followed on from that story.

#Herenya reviews books #Martha Wells #Murderbot #Robert Galbraith #Lethal White #Take Three Girls #Cath Crowley #Simmone Howell #Fiona Wood #Mary H.K. Choi #Georgette Heyer #Alexa Donne #Jane Eyre #The Shadowy Horses #Susanna Kearsley #Patricia A. McKillip #Peter S. Beagle #Ile Rien #Seanan McGuire

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sherryfundin · 3 years

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The Librarian’s Vampire Assistant (Books 1, 5 & 6) by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff @MimiJeanRomance

I am a huge fan of Mimi Jean Pamfiloff and the Librarian’s Assistant series. Each book can be read as a stand alone, but I have read 3 out of 6 and have the bookset for books 1-3, so I plan on reading books 2 and 3 in the very near future.

Amaz

on / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I got The Librarian’s Vampire Assistant Book I by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff on a free day. It led me down a biting good path of laughs, love and vampires. I started with a smile and a chuckle. That’s a good sign and something Mimi Jean Pamfiloff does with ease. Michael Vanderhorst wasn’t looking for work, but he couldn’t resist her. Now, he’s a library assistant. Even though he saw Miriam coming, he never could have anticipated the affect she would have on his life. Hilarious, suspenseful, mouth wateringly, delightfully addictive.

4 Stars

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I won a signed copy of The Librarian’s Vampire Assistant Book 5 by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff and I was sooo excited. I had already picked up the first book on a free day and loved it, so I dove right in. Fortunately it can be read as a stand alone, so I didn’t have any trouble following along.

I am immediately drawn back into Michael and Miriam’s world, watching the characters grow and change, finding their place in a world not of their own making. When it comes to a sacrifice that may free her from the life of a vampire, will Miriam take it? No choice is easy. There are always consequences.

OMG… I loved the book, but as I read the last chapter, I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. This is not in anyway a vampire romance you have read before. Five stars for love, hope, laughter and sweet sweet Stella. I will sorely miss these characters, now that the story has been told and the series is done.

Humans can live without us, but we cannot live without them. And that is why they must always be protected, for better or worse, they are the species that make this world what it is.

5 Stars

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

“I am a Vampire Man! Vampire on the inside. Man on the outside. NOM NOM NOM

Michael and Miriam’s stories may be told, but we still have Mr Nice to deal with. Vampire Man picks up where Book 5 left off, but seeing it is Mr Nice’s story, a rebirth, if you will, it can stand by itself and he is about to get some very bad news. I feel for the messenger. You know the saying, right? Don’t kill the messenger? Well, Mr Nice could very well do that. There is a secret Mr Nice is keeping, thinking to unleash it when the time is right. We have good and bad vampires, as well as good and bad humans.

We have lots of laughs, danger and gruesome deaths, but love is the magic element that can make an evil vampire reevaluate what is important in life. Does he deserve a second chance?

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Vampire Man by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff.

5 Stars

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#mimi jean pamfiloff #fantsy #paranormal and supernatural fiction #humor #vampires #series #read in 2021 #4 star review #5 star review

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nofomoartworld · 7 years

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Hyperallergic: A Playful Take on the Still Life

Holly Coulis, “Cat and Potato Chips” (2017), oil on linen, 28 x 24 inches (all images courtesy Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery)

To get where she is, Holly Coulis had to lop off some heads. The faces that populated some of her recent semi-abstract paintings, which merge still life with landscape, are absent in her newest works, now lighting up the walls of Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery. She has removed volumetric renderings with her graphic contour lines, the ellipses at the tops and bottoms of pitchers, cups, and bowls. They suggested three-dimensional space, which was restrictive. These changes — eliminating portraiture from her paintings and compressing the pictorial plane — have allowed her to be more idiosyncratic, playful, convincing, and even funny.

The evil guardian protecting splayed Pringles in “Cat and Potato Chips” (2017) stares down the viewer in a tour de force of tabletop comedy. The humor, however, belies a sophisticated execution of color and form. The chips’ shapes are reiterated in the cat’s eyes, rendered as analogous objects, thematically connecting them. The flat black mass of feline form fluctuates between negative and positive space, keeping the cat’s proximity to you uncertain. The shift in scale from chip-to-cat-to-table is a satisfying 1-2-3 increase. As comedians know timing, Coulis knows composition.

Cats are not the only devils in the details. Consider line, as line. Since Coulis cut cylindrical volume from her drawing, a means of line-making that she worked toward in her last show has fully arrived. In these radiant paintings, lines result from two painted shapes nearing each other, rather than strokes applied for demarcation. This is the way Barnett Newman made many of his famous “zips” and Frank Stella created parallel stripes of raw canvas — gaps between wider bands of black paint — in his Black Paintings. Coulis revisits these gaps between shapes, accenting them with colored lines to illuminate what in stained glass is dark mortar.

Holly Coulis, “2 Tables with Still Lifes” (2017), oil on linen, 40 x 50 inches

There are other precedents in many of Coulis’ moves: Henri Matisse in commonplace subject; Gary Hume or Donald Sultan in bold tonal contrasts; Wayne Thiebaud in a confected food-to-shadow glow; and so forth. Coulis takes these riffs, first of all, to a place of humor — which is one of the least explored aspects of human experience incorporated into art — and, more subtly, to a quietly complex color palette that’s as pleasing as, say, Fauvist Albert Marquet’s, but is ultimately more elusive. The first color you see, as in the blackish background in “Pear Plant” (2017), suggests purple without actually being purple. Her hues are unnameable and the first one you observe isn’t the true hue; it’s the second or third that emerges after sustained looking. Line and color, to which all painting can be reduced, are, in Coulis’ paintings, delightfully indeterminate.

Holly Coulis, “Pear Plant” (2017), oil on linen, 24 x 30 inches

In the course of his work, Richard Diebenkorn drafted “notes to myself on beginning a painting” and attached them to his studio wall. Number 5: “Don’t ‘discover’ a subject — of any kind.” Coulis seems to have reached this point by process of elimination. Where landscapes, portraits, interiors, still life, and abstractions once competed with each other, she has settled on one, the still life, and animated it with another, abstraction. Conceptual strains were pushed off the table, left for the editing floor. Number 10: “Be careful only in a perverse way.” Isn’t this how Coulis makes the shapes in her paintings shimmer, her color elude description, her still lifes laugh?

Holly Coulis, “Orange Row and Paper with Arc” (2017), oil on linen, 36 x 42 inches

Coulis moved from Brooklyn to Athens, Georgia not long ago and it’s tempting to speculate that her new home has inspired a new freedom in her work. Traditionally artists go upstate or out west seasonally, like birds. Diebenkorn worked under the California sun, never ceding to the colorlessness of much New York abstraction, nor relinquishing subject matter completely. I think Coulis might’ve come up with a successful Number 11: “Get outta Dodge.”

Holly Coulis: Table Studies continues at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery (54 Ludlow Street, Lower East Side) through October 22.

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